Blackmailed
by Shahar Mystral
Summary: Blackmail seems to be the only way to make Neji notice Ten-Ten as anything other then a teammate. But Neji believes that shinobi can’t have romantic relationships within teams without leading to heartache. Can Ten-Ten prove to him otherwise or will he mis
1. Chapter 1

Blackmail seems to be the only way to make Neji notice Ten-Ten as anything other then a teammate. But Neji believes that shinobi can't have romantic relationships within teams without leading to heartache. Can Ten-Ten prove to him otherwise or will he miss what's right in front of him?

**Chapter 1**

**The Dirt.**

Late one night in Konoha Village…

A dark shadow crept into the Hyuuga estate. The shadow paused on the walls and looked around carefully ever watchful for the guards who protected the noble inhabitants. Rather then heading over to the main house, where security would be tighter, the shadow headed over to the branch family's villa.

Once outside the intended target's room, the shadow paused beneath the window, listening for the sounds of movement from within the room. All that the shadow heard was a faint snoring coming from inside. Quickly, the shadow jumped onto the window sill and began opening the window. A slight creaking of the window as it was raised caused the shadow to hesitate, as a faint rustle of blankets was heard as the figure on the bed in the room rolled over, facing the window. The shadow swore under its breath, if the target woke up now, the plan would be ruined and it would have a huge amount explaining to do. Thankfully the figure did not awaken and the shadow continued to raise the window carefully.

Once the window was open, the shadow entered the room. It moved over to the bed and took a good look at the young man lying in the bed. With his eyes closed, hiding the amazing silver eyes from view and his body relaxed he looked nothing like the ninja prodigy that he was. His long black hair was loose and spread over the pillows behind him. He looked so carefree and so open, something that he normally never was. It was sometimes so hard to tell what he was thinking. He always kept his emotions under tight reign that he appeared apathetic. Only two people had ever forced him to lose his iron control – his cousin, Hinata and Naruto. Neji had graduated from Ninja Academy as the top student and had been hailed as the genius of his year. The shadow noticed that he had removed his headband that hid the curse that named him a member of the Hyuuga branch family, however the majority of the curse was hidden by a sleeping cap. The shadow did a double take. The sleeping cap was a lime-green frog. It made him look like he was getting his head swallowed by the frog.

The shadow shook with suppressed laughter. _Oh this was classic._ The shadow had always wondered what he slept in when he wasn't on missions and a green frog cap had never come into its wildest imaginings. The shadow had always figured that he slept in boxers and a t-shirt. Or maybe without a shirt at all. That was why the shadow was here in the first place, the shadow had gotten tired of wondering what he wore to bed.

A relaxed and content sigh came from the bed as he snuggled deeper into the blankets as the cool breeze from the open window drifted in. The shadow froze. Would he wake up? Realising that time was of the essence, since a ninja could wake up at any moment if they felt a prolonged presence of someone else, the shadow hurriedly set about taking a small camera out of a side pouch.

Backing up slightly, to get a better focus, the shadow stood before the window. Perfect. This way it would have a quick escape if he woke up because of the flash. The shadow clicked down a button. As the flash filled the room, the shadow took form. Ten-Ten stood in Hyuuga Neji's bedroom with a camera pressed against her face.

She had gotten it.

Ten-Ten froze again as Neji rolled over, thankfully turning away from her. It was time to make good on her escape. She slipped the camera back into her pouch and slipped back out through the window. Gripping the window tightly to prevent the squeak, she slowly slid it shut, this time without a sound.

"Night Neji." She whispered and was gone in a flash as she ran swiftly through the estate back the way she came.

Clearing the wall of the estate, Ten-Ten breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't been caught. A grin spread over her face. She had gotten more then she bargained for when she had gone to see to see what Neji slept in and boy, had she been surprised.

A giggle escaped Ten-Ten's lips as she made her way across the village. _I can't believe that Neji sleeps with a frog sleeping cap. I have to show this to someone. _Ten-Ten stopped laughing as she considered how upset Neji would be with her if she showed it around. _No, I can't do something like that. It would ruin my chances with him. He'd hate me forever. _She had hoped only for a picture of Neji asleep, a memento of sorts, but fate had handed her something more when she had open that window.

She had always had an attraction towards Neji but on the day he saved her from drowning in an enemy's attack that attraction had deepened. She could no longer just look at him and say that he was a friend, not when her stomach would knot up whenever he smiled at her, or when her dreams were filled with him. However, her feelings for him were one sided. Ten-Ten knew that he regarded her as nothing more then a teammate and a friend.

Nearing her house, Ten-Ten couldn't help herself and finally gave into the chuckles that she had been holding in since she had seen what Neji wore to bed. She couldn't wait for the picture to be developed. A picture of Neji in that frog sleeping cap would be priceless.

Her chocolate brown eyes shining with mirth, she unlocked her door and entered her house. Hurrying to the dark room, where she prepared her weapon scrolls, she set about developing the photograph that she had taken.

Ten-Ten had always been described as a daring ninja and confident in her abilities. Known as the Weapon Mistress of Konoha, her accuracy was almost as legendary as her team. She could hit a bulls eye every time with nearly every weapon imaginable. She was also exceptionally patient – but then again she had to be, since her teammates bordered on insane sometimes. Many in the village had great respect for putting up with her team which was known for its excessive enthusiasm.

A few minutes later the photograph was ready. Ten-Ten held up the picture of her sleeping teammate, making sure that it had developed properly. She personally thought that the lime-green frog was cute, but she doubted that Neji would think other people would agree, especially since he never wore it when he was on missions. Neji was just too self-conscious of what other people thought of him. Although he tried to act as though he didn't care what other people thought of him, Ten-Ten knew better.

Sighing to herself, Ten-Ten vowed that she was going to make him loosen up and not worry so much about what other people thought of him. It was one of those things that she would hopefully fix with the photograph. Making up her mind, Ten-Ten nodded to herself. She was going to blackmail the great Hyuuga Neji.

"With this I might be able to get everything I ever wanted." She said to herself as she headed up to bed. _Tomorrow will be fun_. She thought, wondering what he would do when she showed him the photograph. She paused as she took her brown hair down from its customary two buns. _I must just remember to hide the negatives and the extras I made – I am dealing with a ninja, and a genius one at that._

**Authors note:** This chapter was kinda short but I've never liked starting things, I always seem to jump straight in. So if it not up to scratch don't give up on me just yet. It will get better. Please review – I'd really like to know what you think.

Anyway the next chapter will feature Neji (awake this time) and Ten-Ten, as well as the familiar faces of Lee and Gai.

Ten-Ten makes her first demand – can Neji do it or is his reputation going to be ruined?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Are You Blackmailing Me?**

"Neji-kun, wait up." A voice called out from behind him.

_I must be going mad_, Neji thought. _I could have sworn that Ten-Ten just called me Neji-__**kun**__. No one ever calls me Neji-__**kun. **__Not since I became a jounin, anyway._

He shrugged it off and carried on walking, until, "Hey, Neji-kun, will you wait up already!"

Neji stopped and turned around. He hadn't been hearing things after all. But why the hell was Ten-Ten calling him _Neji-kun_? As he waited, Neji studied his teammate. She was wearing her usual outfit – the white and pink one – and her hair was up in its usual two buns. She was grinning at him, despite the faint scowl that was present on his face – she had called him Neji-kun after all.

"I've something that I want to show you," she said, grinning completely ignoring his scowl.

Neji raised an eyebrow, clearly waiting for her to show him whatever _it_ was that she wanted to show him.

She pouted. "No need to be so excited." She said in response to his lack of enthusiasm. "This is only going to affect your life – big time."

Curious, though he'd never admit it, Neji watched as she took a piece of paper out of her weapons pouch. She turned it around and allowed him to look at the paper.

It was a photograph of him. Asleep in his bed. With him wearing his sleeping cap. The sleeping cap that looked like a frog!

A blush stained Neji's face. "How did you… When did you… Give it here." He spluttered, his hand reaching out to grasp it as he glanced over at Gai and Lee who were still sparring on the training grounds. Thankfully they were still caught up in their fight and hadn't noticed anything odd.

Quickly, Ten-Ten snatched the photograph out of his reach and quickly stuffed it down the front of her shirt. She held her hand against her chest, as though she still expected him to try and take the photograph from her.

Neji paused, his hand still outstretched. He hadn't expected that. "Ten-Ten," he said in a quiet voice that would make most people cringe. "Give that here."

Ten-Ten shook her head slowly, ignoring the threatening tone, her hand on still on her chest holding the photograph to her. "I'll give it to you if you do something for me."

Neji looked at his teammate, stunned.

"Are you trying to blackmail me?" He finally managed in a choked voice, stunned that she would dare to do such a thing.

"Yes." Said Ten-Ten, glad that he had caught on so quickly. It made explaining things so much easier.

Neji couldn't think clearly. He took a deep breath to try and clear his head._ Why is she –? How did she – ? When did she – ? _ He needed to try and distract her so he could get that photograph from her. His mind still spinning, he asked her, "How did you get that photograph and when did you take it?"

"I snuck into your room last night and took the picture." She grinned up at him sweetly. "You look really cute when you're sleeping, you know. More relaxed, less tense like you are now."

"Well excuse me for being tense," he hissed, since he couldn't shout – not with Gai and Lee sparing near by, "but in case you haven't noticed you're trying to _blackmail_ me." Not waiting for her reply he continued angrily. "What were you doing in my room last night? And how many people have you shown that picture to?" He was going to have to beat some people into silence if she had shown anyone. Neji couldn't let anyone know about the frog cap - he'd be the laughing stock of the whole village.

Ten-Ten giggled nervously, "Of course _I_ noticed that you're being blackmailed – Neji-kun." He grimaced at the name. "As to what I was doing in you're room last night is my business and I haven't shown anyone the picture – _yet_." She paused allowing the word to sink in.

"What?! How is sneaking into _my_ room not _my_ business? " He said as his brain tried to make sense of everything. "And what do you mean by 'yet'?" he yelped, when he realised what she'd said. _I can't let anyone in the village see that. It will ruin my image. I'll be the laughing stock of the village._ _I have to get it back. _

"Give me the photograph." Neji growled threateningly. "Now."

Ten-Ten took a slight step back, slightly intimidated by the threat that she heard in his voice but stopped herself quickly. "No, its mine. I'm not going to give it to you but…"

"But what?" Neji bit out savagely. His patience was being sorely tested and a small part of him knew that if he suddenly attacked Ten-Ten, Gai and Lee would probably leap to her aid.

"I'll give it to you if you do something for me."

Neji sighed softly. He knew that attacking a teammate might be dangerous and foolhardy, especially since Ten-Ten was an experienced ninja, he decided that it might be easier to give into her demand. "Okay, what do I have to do?" Somehow, he knew that he wasn't going to like whatever she had planned for him.

Ten-Ten smiled up at him. "I'll give you the photograph, if you kiss me, now."

Neji was stunned. He had been expecting something else entirely. "What? Why? …Now?" He managed to splutter after a moment of stunned silence.

Ten-Ten just smiled at him coyly.

His eyes darted to her cheek spotting a loophole in her crazy demand. Noticing where he was looking Ten-Ten shook her head and specified her demand, "On the lips."

Neji swallowed. It might be easier to try and get the photo by force. But he had agreed. He had to kiss her to get the photograph. That wouldn't be too bad, but kissing her would mean that he would be breaking one of the most important rules ever.

**Never get romantically involved with a fellow teammate** – and he feared that kissing Ten-Ten would break that rule. He wouldn't be able to look at her as only a teammate if he kissed her.

"You have five seconds to make up your mind. Starting now." Ten-Ten began counting when he continued to stare blankly at her. Neji's thoughts whirled.

"Five."

_It's just one kiss. It can't hurt._

"Four."

_A kiss can save me... But Ten-Ten is a teammate._

"Three."

_If I kiss her, she wouldn't be just a teammate._

"Two."

_She'd be a __**girl**__ that I've kissed._

"One."

_Relationships with teammates only lead to heartache. A kiss will ruin everything. I can't._

"Times up. What have you decided to do? Will you kiss me or not?"

Neji looked at her. _I can't break that rule. I swore that when my father died I wouldn't have a serious relationship with a fellow ninja, particularly someone as close a teammate. I won't be able to survive another death of someone important to me. I can't do this. _The words seemed to get stuck in his throat. They weren't words that he liked saying, but he forced them out. "I… I can't."

For an instant pain flashed in Ten-Ten's dark eyes, but just as quickly it disappeared and her smile was back. "Okay, if that's your answer." She turned around and began heading over to Gai and Lee.

"Where are you going?" Neji asked as he grabbed her shoulder.

Ten-Ten paused not looking back at him. "I'm going to show Gai-sensei and Lee this really cute picture of you in a green frog sleeping cap."

"No." Neji said as he swung Ten-Ten around. "Please don't." With a resigned sigh, he continued. "Okay… I'll do it." He swallowed, his eyes darting over her shoulder watching Lee and Gai. "I'll kiss you if you don't show them that picture."

Ten-Ten waited until he looked into her eyes. "Too late. You lost your chance. You said that you can't kiss me so, I won't push it."

Neji was horrified. He hadn't expected her to change her mind. "But… what about the picture? Are you still going to show Gai-sensei and Lee?"

"Maybe."

"Please don't Ten-Ten. Give me something else to do and I'll do it. Just don't show people that picture."

"Very well," she said regally, after a moment of tense silence. "I won't show people this picture if you agree to listen and do what I say for the next two weeks."

All that Neji could do was nod.

Ten-Ten smiled. "Good. Well, I'm off. I'll see you tomorrow. Be at my house at ten, I've got some work for you." She paused. "Oh you might want to wear some old clothes. Just a suggestion." She didn't wait for his reply before setting off down a path that led to the village.

_I will find a way to get that photograph away from her._ He thought as he watched her walk away. He was a ninja after all.

Ten-Ten glanced over her shoulder and threw him a grin. "Oh and Neji-kun, don't bother trying to steal the photograph, I've made extras and I've hidden them. Believe me when I say that you won't be able to find them all. Bye, I'll see you later."

Neji stood there and watched her walk away, his mind whirling. He, Hyuuga Neji was being blackmailed. One of his _teammates_, who he trusted with his life, was _blackmailing _him. As a member of the noble Hyuuga clan he should be beyond this sort of treatment.

_How could this have happened?_ He was a jounin so he should have woken up when Ten-Ten had a) snuck into his room and b) taken a picture of him with a camera that must have had a flash since the picture was so clear. How was he supposed to get out of such a predicament, he wondered. _I wonder where she hid the photographs and the negatives. _

Sure, she had said that he wouldn't be able to find them, but that wouldn't stop him from trying. He would have to use his Byakugan ability to look around Ten-Ten's house when he got the chance. His special bloodline ability allowed him to see through any form of matter within an eight hundred meter radius and he was pretty confident that he would be able to find them using it.

But then Ten-Ten's partings words came back to him "Believe me when I say that you won't be able to find them all." Of course Ten-Ten knew about his ability since she had been his teammate since they were twelve. Finding those photos might be harder then he first thought.

His dark thoughts were interrupted as Gai congratulated Lee on a move he had just perfected. "Ah the Beauty of Youth."

Neji scoffed. The Beauty of Youth indeed. More like the Horror.

**Author's Note:**I had a lot of fun writing this chapterand I hope you enjoyed it and if you did let me know with a review. Special thanks to those wonderful people who reviewed namely animegirl101, Ally1313, Solosan and XXXTrilic. I'm glad that you all liked the frog cap.

For those who didn't watch Naruto in Japanese, I've included an explanation to the honorific 'kun", taken from Del Rey manga.

_-Kun – Suffix is used at the end of boys__' names to express familiarity/endearment._

_It is also sometimes used by men among friends, or when addressing someone younger or of a lower station._

I know that most people know this already but I do have a reason for this because I used this honorific as a way of making Neji 'cute'. I think that such an honorific coming from a female teammate makes Neji's hair stand on end since he is both older and of a higher ninja rank than Ten-Ten. Technically I should have used chan but I think that would have been pushing it too far.

The next chapter is the first task that Ten-Ten sets Neji. Exactly how much torture can one person go through? Well, Ten-Ten is going to put Neji to the test.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Night Times Revelations**

That nightNeji lay on his bed staring up at his ceiling contemplating the latest crisis in his life. _That photograph is going to 'cause me a lot of trouble, I need to get it away from Ten-Ten before someone else discovers my secret. I have__ to._

Thankfully over the course of the day he had planned how he would go about getting the photograph. Treat it as a basic infiltration mission. He was keeping it nice and simple.

Sneak in without waking Ten-Ten – use his Byakugan to locate the photo and the negatives – find said objects and sneak out. As simple as that.

He was confident that he would be able to find the photograph with minimum hassle – he had full confidence in his Byakugan. _No doubt Ten-Ten is trying to discourage me from looking for the photograph. _He scoffed silently. _She's probably bluffing and so what if she had more than one copy? I'll just find them all. _

Secure in his mission and his capabilities, Neji glanced over at his bed side clock, and grinned at the time - 02:17. Perfect. It was time for him to go. Neji got up off his bed, stretching and smiling to himself. _It was time for revenge._

Neji heard a click and opened at the door grinning slightly as he slipped the lock picks into his pocket. Neji paused in Ten-Ten's hallway, glancing around. There were no visible booby traps or ant indication that she had suspected that he might try retrieve the photo.

He smirked at her naivety. _Ten-Ten you need to work on your ninja skills. Never underestimate your opponent. _He paused at the door – wondering for a split second if he was underestimating her – especially if she feels confident enough to overlook my desire to get that photograph. However the indecision lasted only a second before he shrugged it off and made his way into the house.

A quick but thorough search of the bottom half of Ten-Ten's house revealed no hint of the photograph, although Neji suspected that the photograph might have been made in her dark room where she made her weapons scrolls. The room was full of the scrolls that Ten-Ten used in battle to summon large amounts of weapons by performing a blood sacrifice. But honestly he doubted that she would hide the photo in a scroll where she could risk using it on a battlefield. At least he hoped so. The rest of the room was full of chemicals and empty scrolls and various other things that Neji had no idea what they were, unfortunately neither the negatives nor the photograph were nowhere in his Byakugan sight.

Deciding that Ten-Ten would most likely keep them close at hand, Neji gathered up the courage to sneak upstairs, praying that he wouldn't get caught. _What am I thinking, I won't get caught. I'm a ninja after all. And a good one at that. _As he reached the top of the stairs Neji tensed as he heard a strange noise coming from nearby.

Neji scanned the immediate area quickly, finding no imminent threat he followed the source of the strange sound to Ten-Ten's bedroom door. _Should I go in or not? _He was still debating whether he should risk detection when he suddenly identified the sounds coming from the room were the sounds of someone whimpering.

_Ten-Ten's in trouble._ He thought frantically.

Neji opened the door, his body crouched – ready to leap out of the way without a moments hesitation his Byakugan activated in an attempt to locate possible attackers and did an automatic sweep of the room, looking for danger. After a tense moment, and seeing that the room was free of any obvious danger, he took a deep breath to calm himself and released his ability, while his eyes darted over to the mountain of white in the centre of the room, which he assumed was the bed. The bed was enveloped by a white mosquito net, with a few white and silver pillows scattered on the floor nearby.

Neji walked over to the bed drawn by the whimpering coming from his teammate. Looking through the net, Neji regarded his teammate buried by the white feather duvet. She was curled up into a tight ball with her hair flung across her pillow, her face contorted into a look of fear. She whimpered again, her fists clenching and her brow furrowing.

_She's having a nightmare, _he realised.

"Ten-Ten, wake up." He said gently completely forgetting about his idea of not getting caught. However she continued to whimper into her pillow.

Neji drew back the mosquito net and sat down on the edge of the bed. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder hoping to shake her awake, but froze when Ten-Ten started to mutter in her sleep. "No, stop. Leave him alone."

She suddenly let out an anguished cry and Neji felt a shiver of fear run down his spine.

"DON'T!!" The last word was torn from her throat and tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

_What's scaring you so badly?_ He thought panicking, as he increased the pressure on her shoulder, shaking her with more force now. "Ten-Ten wake up. It's just a dream. Wake up!"

Her eyes flew open and before Neji had a chance to prepare himself, she was in his arms, sobbing her heart out. "Oh, Neji! I couldn't stop them. I tried … I** really** tried."

Neji placed his arms clumsily around her and drew her closer to him patting her back awkwardly. "It's going to be okay, Ten-Ten. I know you tried. It was just a nightmare. Everything will be okay. Everything's okay."

Ten-Ten tightened her hold on the front of his shirt, "I failed, Neji. I couldn't … save you … I tried. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." She broke down again, her body shaking with the after effects of the dream.

Neji was shocked. _She's been dreaming about __**me**__. She was trying to save me from something in her dream. And she hadn't succeeded._ Neji wasn't sure what to do or say. So he held her closer and kept rubbing her back, murmuring softly. "It's okay, Ten-Ten. I'm okay. It was just a nightmare. It didn't really happen."

He continued to murmur soothing nothings and rub her back until he felt a slight dampness on his chest where her tears had soaked through. _This dream really shook her up,_ he realised. Looking down at the head nestled against his chest, Neji felt a wave of protectiveness surge through him. He wasn't sure where this feeling had suddenly sprung from, but before he could analyse the source of this feeling further he realised that Ten-Ten had stopped crying and was now looking up at him, her eyes red and puffy and her checks tear strained. Removing his hand from her back, he put it in his pocket, withdrew a handkerchief and handed it to her.

She took it from him, with a weak smile and wiped her face before gently blowing her nose. She looked up at him, her eyes still a little watery and red from all the crying. "Thanks Neji."

"Ten-Ten," he asked gently, "are you okay?" She nodded. He looked at her a little skeptically. "You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Um… thanks for you know for... um… sitting with me" she glanced at the damp patch on his shirt, "and letting me cry all over you." She glanced down at the handkerchief in her hand. "Um…I'll give this back to after I've washed it, okay?"

"It's okay. I'm glad I could be here with you when you needed someone." He had decided that it was best to leave the contents of her dream for a later stage when it was not so fresh in her mind. Besides the possibility that Ten-Ten might just like him wasn't something that he was willing to consider just yet. Sure she had asked him to kiss her that afternoon – but she had just been playing around with him, right?

"Yeah," Ten-Ten smiled. "I'm glad you were here for me as well." Suddenly she drew back and her eyes narrowed. "And what is it that you're doing here," she glanced over at the bedside clock, "at three o'clock in the morning?"

Neji pulled back, a little startled at the sudden mood swing, hadn't she just been crying over him earlier? "Um… well…" He didn't really have an excuse that she would accept – after all he hadn't planned on being caught. He glanced away, seeking some answer from somewhere in the room.

This was the wrong thing to do because it immediately brought Ten-Ten's attention to the fact that they were sitting in her bedroom. A fact that she seemed to have previously overlooked. "Neji, what were doing in my room?" Neji opened his mouth to say that he had heard her crying in her sleep but she had made her own conclusions.

"YOU were SPYING on me, weren't you? You PERVERT!" Ten-Ten yanked her blankets up to her neck, jerking him off the bed and onto the floor with a thump.

Ten-Ten had of course been thinking about her reasons for sneaking into Neji's room the night before. However she considered Neji being in her room at night was far more of an offence then what she had been doing. After all, hadn't Naruto proven time and time again just how perverted the men in this village were with his sexy no jutsu? Wondering if her choice of men could be so wrong, Ten-Ten watched Neji splutter and fight his way out of the netting that he had gotten tangled in.

Finally, Neji managed to extract himself from the net and stagger to his feet after nearly tripping over one of the pillows that littered the floor. "I wasn't spying on you! I'm not a pervert! I heard you crying in your sleep and I thought that you might be in trouble so I came in to see what was wrong." Neji straightened his clothes irritably, "To think I thought you were being attacked and now I get accused of being a pervert for trying to save you. Is that how you see me? As a pervert?" He asked the indignation clear in his voice.

Ten-Ten smiled, relieved that the man she loved wasn't a pervert after all. "Sorry for calling you a pervert Neji, I just over reacted, that's all." She lowered her blankets from round her neck, revealing for the first time the writing on the front of the baggy t-shirt that she wore as pajamas. Across the faded blue top were the words DON'T RUN WITH SCISSORS – THROW THEM! Neji noticed this and couldn't help but grin – _This is the Ten-Ten I know. _

Thinking that he was smiling at her, Ten-Ten smiled back before she suddenly realised that he still hadn't given her a proper reason for being in her house, since she doubt that he could have heard her whimpering from the street. Her smile disappeared to and was replaced with a curious frown. "Neji-kun, why were you in my house at one o'clock in the morning without my permission?"

Neji's eyes narrowed at the use of the honorific as he folded his arms and looked down at her. "That's my business. It has nothing to do with you."

A dangerous glint entered Ten-Ten's eyes. "Oh don't you dare Neji." She said shaking her head slowly. "Don't you dare use that lame excuse as a way of getting out of trouble."

Neji's eyes widened slightly and he shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, so now **I** can't use the same excuse that you used on me, when I asked you why you had snuck into my room in the middle of the night but you can? I have to accept that as a valid reason, do I? Well what's fair for you is fair for me. There is nothing different that makes my answer less valid then yours."

"Oh but I beg to differ," Ten-Ten said smugly. "There are two differences that make my excuse more valid than yours." She raised one finger to illustrate her point. "One you didn't catch me in your room," she raised a second finger. "And two – I'm blackmailing you. That means that I can do anything I want and get away with it."

"You think that I don't remember the fact that you're blackmailing me, Ten-Ten. And it was just luck that I didn't wake up when you were in…"

"I've got it." Ten-Ten suddenly squealed, cutting him off. "You were looking for the photograph." She chuckled. "You can't handle it."

"Why should I handle it? Neji replied sullenly. "Who would anyone want to be blackmailed in the first place? Now will you please tell me where that damn photo is so we can end this farce and you can go back to bed and I can go home to mine? Contrary to what you seem to believe I do not enjoy hanging around other people's houses in the middle of the night."

Ten-Ten sighed. "Well… I suppose I ought to give you the photo… " She shrugged her head to one side, "But ought doesn't mean should and I don't want to either."

Neji's smile held a tinge of arrogance. "Oh come on Ten-Ten, you can't possibly think that I'll never find it. I will eventually find it, no matter how well you think you've hidden it."

Neji watched her closely, waiting for some sign that might indicate where the photograph could be. Neji knew that people often made unconscious gestures towards the things they were hiding. Thanks to his Byakugan bloodline he was exceptionally keen at perceiving subtle movements even without it being activated.

Ten-Ten's eyes darted to her sideboard on the left of her. Neji decided that it was an obvious ploy to distract him. Left was always a lie. He took a step towards Ten-Ten's sideboard playing along with her, while continuing to watch her out of the corner of his eye and as Ten-Ten's hand crept towards her pillow, he swung around and dived at her hand that was reaching under the pillow.

However, Neji's foot slipped on one of the silk pillows which were lying on the floor, causing him to lose balance. Ten-Ten shrieked and leaned back on her pillows to avoid being squashed as Neji landed on the bed.

"Bloody… damned… pillows on the bloody floor are going to be the death of me." Neji muttered as he struggled to sit up.

"Damn, you're clumsy tonight, Neji-kun. Are you getting sick or something?" Ten-Ten muttered as she, too, struggled to sit up. The only problem was the fact that Neji had her pinned to the bed. Turning her head to look at her hand, she saw that she was being held down by his hand, which he had thrown out in an attempt to prevent himself from squashing her. "Neji, will you let go of my hand and get off me already."

"Neji." she said with a hint of impatience in her voice. When he suddenly stopped moving, she turned her head, ready to berate him for taking so long to do as she asked, only to find his face inches from her own. Unsure as how to respond Ten-Ten just lay there and gazed up at the silver eyes that had held her mesmerised for years and still had the same effect on her, more so, due to their current proximity to one another.

Suddenly the world was silent, but for the thudding of her heart. She could feel his warm breath on her face and as she gazed up at him she saw his silver eyes become molten as his head lowered.

Ten-Ten closed her eyes as she felt Neji's warm lips touch hers. His free hand moved around to the side of her head.

A second later, before she even had a chance to enjoy the kiss, his lips and presence were gone.

"Got it!" He said triumphantly, standing at the end of the bed, waving the photo in the air that he had removed from under her pillow.

When Ten-Ten continued to stare at him silently, he felt his triumph wane. Slowly he looked at the page in his hand and watched the illusion fade to reveal a white page with a message written on it. "Better luck next time."

Ten-Ten watched Neji's face fall, with ill-concealed mirth. "Sorry Neji-kun. You won't beat me that easily."

Neji growled under his breath. "You haven't beaten me yet Ten-Ten."

"I know, but until you get the photos from me, you are going to do as I say. So I suggest that you head back to your bed and go to sleep 'cause you are going to be working tomorrow. I'll see you at ten."

Knowing that he had been beaten, Neji walked over to her bedroom door. He was just about to leave when Ten-Ten called out to him.

"Neji-kun," He turned around to look at her lying on her bed. "Don't forget to lock up behind you." She grinned at him. "And next time you decide to kiss me," she paused to let the words sink in. "it had better be for real."

Neji darted out the room, before she could remind him about anything else. He had lost this round but he knew it was only a matter of time before he won.

As he made his way home, he touched his lips, remembering the brief touch of Ten-Ten's lips on his. He had broken one of his promises. He had kissed his teammate. Something he had vowed not to do.

After tonight, something within Neji had shifted and the emotions that she had stirred in him should have him trying to keep his distance form her.

And yet he could not help but want to meet the last challenge that Ten-Ten had issued. Dare he try kiss her for real?

Would his heart survive?

**Author's note:** I apologise for the exceptionally long delay in getting this chapter up. I was unhappy with it and I couldn't bring myself to put it up until I had it right. I think I've rewritten it about five times by now.

In case any of you were wondering about the whole looking to the left thing – many people will look to the left when they are lying. So beware of eyes which shift to the left.

Anyway, constructive criticism is welcomed as well as your views and opinions. If anyone has any idea's for Ten-Ten to use on Neji you are welcome to let me know. I already have a few but you have to enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoy typing it, so let me know.


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